Where Is The Battle For Control Going On? || Which Districts Have Taliban Taken Control

Which Districts Of Afghanistan Have The Taliban Taken Control Of And Where Is The Battle For Control Going On?

In Afghanistan, the Taliban have so far cordoned off the headquarters of 20 of the country's 34 districts.

Most of the areas captured by the Taliban are of strategic importance because they are located on the main roads that connect Kabul to the north, south and west of the country.

Advances have been made in several districts since the Taliban announced the withdrawal of foreign troops on May 1.

Most of the cities besieged by the Taliban are located in the north of the country, where Afghanistan shares borders with its Central Asian neighbors. Over the past few weeks, the Taliban have expanded their operations around key cities in the south and east of the country, and have now tightened their grip on the Afghan capital, Kabul.

An investigation by the BBC Afghan Service into where the Taliban are currently advancing in Afghanistan and which areas are under whose control until 12 July 2021 makes this picture clear to us.

Charikar (Parwan Province)

The Taliban have seized the strategically important Ghorband Valley in Parwan Province, which threatens the provincial capital, Charikar, but is also 60 kilometers from the capital, Kabul, and Bagram Airport, which recently It was evacuated by US forces, but not far from the reach of the Taliban.

The motorway that connects parwan province to the seemingly safe Bamyan province also passes through this valley. On July 11, the Taliban took control of Khamrad District in Bamyan, the first Taliban-held district in the province.

Kandahar City (Kandahar Province)

The Taliban have already claimed control of some districts in the southern province of Kandahar, the Taliban's 'birthplace' in 1996, while at least three of the country's 10 largest cities have been captured by the Taliban around Kandahar, Herat and Ghazni. The siege is tight.

In Kandahar province, after Shorabak, Arghistan, Maiwand, Khakriz, Panjwai, Maroof, Shah Wali Kot and Ghorak districts, reports of clashes have also been received around the provincial capital Kandahar city.

The Taliban have seized control of the Spin Boldak, Chaman border crossing that connects Kandahar with Pakistan's Balochistan province.

Fighting continues between government forces and Taliban fighters in areas not controlled by the Taliban, according to a BBC Afghan service map. According to the map, on the border with Pakistan, known as the Afghan Durand Line, the Taliban control parts of the Afghan provinces of Kandahar and Nuristan, and most of Badakhshan.

It is the largest commercial center in southern Afghanistan and is located at the crossroads of highways from Kabul, Herat and Quetta (Pakistan). Kandahar also has an international airport, but it has traditionally been used extensively for domestic flights.

Although historically significant, the province has become the center of international media due to two major events in the last 25 years or so. One of these is the emergence of the Taliban movement from here in 1996 and the second major incident at Kandahar Airport after an Indian passenger plane was hijacked in December 1999.

Badakhshan Province:

The Afghan province of Badakhshan, which borders Pakistan, China and Tajikistan, has in the past been one of the toughest provinces for Taliban fighters, and even in 2001, when they occupied about 90 percent of Afghanistan, the northern The area in general and Badakhshan in particular remained out of their control.

In the last several weeks of fighting, Taliban fighters have cordoned off Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, but have not yet taken control of any headquarters in all provinces of Afghanistan, including Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan.

To the east of Badakhshan Province is the Wakhan Corridor, which extends to Chitral in northern Pakistan and the border with Gilgit-Baltistan and China. The total area of ​​the province is about 44,000 square kilometers (about 17,000 square miles) and most of the area is located on the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.

Badakhshan has been a Silk Road since ancient times, which is why China has shown great interest in the province since the fall of the Taliban and is helping the Afghan government rebuild roads and infrastructure there. ۔

In 2018, Chinese media also reported that China was helping Afghanistan build a mountain brigade in northern Afghanistan to boost counter-terrorism efforts. However, the report said that Chinese troops would not be present on Afghan soil during this time.

According to the South China Morning Post, the Afghan embassy in China said that the Afghan government appreciated China's assistance.

Paktika, Khost and Paktia provinces:

Fighting continues between security forces and the Taliban over control of most areas of Paktika, Khost and Paktia provinces along the Pakistani border, while districts bordering Nangarhar and Kunar along the Pakistani border are still under full Afghan control. Control.

According to the map, the Afghan government still controls most of central Afghanistan's districts, including Kabul and Nangarhar.

In the Afghan province of Khost, home to the Taliban's Haqqani network, Afghan fighters fought fierce battles against the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

However, the network's leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani, and his fighters have since traveled from Khost to North Waziristan across the border in difficult conditions, until the Taliban government and the Taliban retreat.

This Afghan province is located in the eastern part of the country, near the Pakistani border.

To the east, the province borders Pakistan's former North Waziristan tribal region and Kurram District. In the past, it was part of Paktia province and still the vast area around Khost is called Loya Paktia.

In the last 24 hours, the Taliban have claimed control of at least five districts in different provinces of Afghanistan. The Taliban have claimed control of the Afghan border with Bab Dosti, near Chaman district in Balochistan, along the Pakistani border in the south.

Some eyewitnesses in Chaman told the BBC that Bab Dosti was waving a large Afghan Taliban flag towards Afghanistan.

An eyewitness said, "When we woke up in the morning to pray, a white flag was flying instead of the Afghan flag." According to this eyewitness, the chapter of friendship has been closed since this morning due to all kinds of traffic.

Ghazni and Zaranj:

The province where the Taliban have laid siege to the provincial capital is Ghazni in central Afghanistan.

The Taliban have been active in the province for many years and took control of large parts of the capital of the multi-ethnic province in 2018.

Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces has intensified near Ghazni city. Nasir Ahmad Faqiri, head of the provincial council, said the Taliban may have taken over "50 per cent" of the provincial capital. Tolo News TV reported this news on July 12.

In June 2021, the Taliban took control of most of the province's districts, except for areas with a large Shia Hazara minority. Ghazni shares borders with eight other provinces. The Kabul-Kandahar Highway, which connects Ghazni to southern Afghanistan, passes through the same province.

The provincial capital, Zaranj, and the Malik Zaranj border crossing are also under threat after the capture of Chakhansur and Dilaram districts in the southern province of Nimroz. Melek, Zaranj Crossing gives Afghanistan access to Iran's Chabahar port, which is built with Indian funding.

Qila Naw and Mazar-e-Sharif

The Taliban have also carried out several attacks on the capital, Qala-e-Naw, after seizing all districts of Badghis province on Afghanistan's northeastern border.

Most pro-Taliban analysts welcomed the Taliban attacks in Badghis, claiming that the militants were welcomed as they entered Qala-e-Naw and then released their comrades in Qala-e-Naw prison.

However, according to Badghis Governor Hussamuddin Shams, government forces retaliated in Qala-e-Naw July 7, forcing the Taliban to retreat.

The Taliban, on the other hand, began occupying districts near Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh Province, in late June.

According to Afghan media, parliamentarians and former jihadi and anti-Taliban commanders have sought help from locals to stop the Taliban's advance.

Kunduz and Taloqan

The Taliban are present in the border areas of Kunduz city and have reportedly taken control of every district in Kunduz province, including the Sherkhan border crossing with Tajikistan.

The province is even more important because it connects the provinces of Takhar and Badakhshan and connects Balkh and other northern areas on the Tajik border.

The Taliban control 14 of Takhar's 16 districts, and the capital, Taloqan, is now under threat.

According to Ariana News TV, the law and order situation in the city is bad and the border crossing with Tajikistan at A-Khanum is also under Taliban control.

Capture of ports

The Taliban have also claimed control of Sher Khan port in Kunduz, A Khanum in Takhar, Islam Qila and Torghandi ports in Herat and Dand Patan port in Paktia.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the BBC that business at the three ports had resumed and would return to normal soon.

The report also includes information from BBC Monitoring.